Surface has long been a home for groundbreaking designers, artists, photographers, and thought leaders; a hub to connect with the creative class and stay informed on the most important news in the design world. With a mission to cultivate an inclusive community rooted in collaboration and creative exchange, the publication has showcased some of the most influential names through a cross-section of industries—design, art, architecture, fashion, travel, tech, and more—shot by the world’s leading photographers and videographers.
Our distinctive lens has afforded us access to the most revered minds in design and opened doors to their rarefied creative spaces. Over the years, Surface’s prodigious, tactile print issue has become a collector’s item in its own right, fetching many times its retail price on the resale market. It’s on this foundation that we are thrilled to announce an NFT auction of one of our most distinguished covers, Azzedine Alaïa (issue 131), on the NFT marketplace OpenSea. Alaïa, the late fashion design legend, graced Surface‘s cover in the 2016 September Fashion Issue.
(Learn more about the design world’s foray into NFTs.)
“Surface has long been considered a home for artists and innovators in the design community, serving as a platform to celebrate their remarkable talent that shapes contemporary culture and the world around us,” says Marc Lotenberg, CEO of Surface Media. “OpenSea is harnessing the power of crypto technology to connect and enable the next generation of artists, which is why we are thrilled to partner with them to bring our collection of covers to the market and work together to open the world of art to the digital space as never before.”
Each Surface Covers NFT will include both a JPG and live cover MP4 file. (Think the moving paintings in Harry Potter.) Additionally, each Surface Covers NFT will be packaged with a folder of exclusive content that will unlock after purchase (a collection of BTS images from the cover shoot, star-studded event photos from the issue launch, videos, and more.) Surface will also feature a digital gallery of just-sold covers on SurfaceMag.com, with the opportunity for buyers to be listed alongside their purchased cover (or they can stay anonymous if preferred.)
Surface’s inaugural OpenSea NFT auction is now open and will run through Friday, April 23, at 8pm EST. In the coming months, we will release a limited collection of covers from 2014 to 2020 for auction, including names such as David Lynch, Christo, Richard Branson, Solange Knowles, Peter Zumthor, and more. Staying true to our brand and our mission, a portion of all revenues will go to the original photographer and cover subject, who will have the opportunity to select a charity instead.
View the Surface Covers NFT marketplace and place your bid on Azzedine Alaïa (issue 131) here. See you on the auction block!
Additional Info:
Where is the Surface Covers auction listed?
The auction is listed on OpenSea (Surface Covers).
Why is Surface selling on the NFT market?
Over recent months, we’ve seen the marketplace change dramatically with the emergence of Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs). We don’t see this as a bubble, but a long-term solution; NFTs will help those of us who fund creativity continue to do so, enabling artists and designers to be protected against counterfeiting and to benefit, in many cases, when their work is purchased. We feel that NFTs will bridge the physical and virtual worlds, enabling creators of all kinds to certify the authenticity and create a trackable chain of custody, a verifiable record of provenance that has been missing in our increasingly digital culture. We also feel the NFT marketplace is an exciting new way to connect with the loyal Surface audience by making our vault of treasures and collectibles available for the first time.
What will be included in the Surface Covers NFT sale?
Each Surface Covers NFT will include both a JPG and live cover MP4 file. (Think the moving paintings in Harry Potter.) Additionally, each Surface Covers NFT will be packaged with a folder of exclusive content that will unlock after purchase (a collection of BTS images from the cover shoot, star-studded event photos from the issue launch, videos, and more.) Surface will also feature a digital gallery of just-sold covers on SurfaceMag.com, with the opportunity for buyers to be listed alongside their purchased cover (or you can stay anonymous if you’d prefer.)
